There’s no turning back – social media is here to stay so why not make the most of it, both personally and professionally!

Source: spently.com

LinkedIn was my first foray into the social media world, followed by Twitter then eventually Facebook and others. Did I succumb to social pressures to join? No, I would say more out of self preservation at first. Then, as I started to see the benefits of these technology tools, I realized it was time to embrace the concept and jump in with both feet.

It’s that time of the year when many people make New Year’s resolutions that we know probably won’t stick beyond a couple of weeks; however, we go through the same motions each year. For some people, this can lead to unhappy thoughts and unhealthy behaviours as promises to improve are broken and we resort back to our “normal” activities. For some people, these thoughts can become overwhelming and cause severe anxiety and other problematic health issues. In the end, making New Year’s resolutions that we know are going to be broken can lead to disappointment leaving a person feeling unhappy and even depressed which can deteriorate a person’s state of mental health.

Across the province, there appears to be a renewed focus on creating healthier, safer workplaces. With this increased awareness, it is fitting that Safety Services Manitoba (SSM), the foremost safety services provider specializing in full-service programming in occupational safety, road safety and community safety, has put a renewed focus on strong leadership.

“Safety and related issues are everywhere, but at the same time, we also have a long way to go in terms of ensuring awareness and compliance,” says SSM president and CEO Judy Murphy, who joined the organization in May.

The public has been conditioned to think that conflict-of-interest issues only apply to politicians and other government officials held to high ethical standards. But the truth is that these issues are relevant to every workplace and affect all employers and employees.

Whenever an employee finds themselves in a situation where their interests are at odds with their allegiance to their employer, it is considered a conflict of interest. While most employees will thankfully never engage in bribery or other forms of illegal behaviour for their own personal gain, they may one day come to an ethical crossroads and not know whether to turn left or right because they don’t understand the principles of conflict of interest.